Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was transported to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Sunday afternoon. Austin was exhibiting symptoms of an "emergent bladder issue‚" according to the Pentagon."Today‚ at approximately 2:20 pm‚ Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III was transported by his security detail to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to be seen for symptoms suggesting an emergent bladder issue‚" the Pentagon said in a press release. "The Deputy Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff have been notified. Additionally‚ White House and Congressional notifications have occurred."Pentagon Press Secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder initially said Austin would retain his duties as secretary of defense while in the hospital. However‚ Ryder said on Sunday night that Austin had "transferred the functions and duties of the office" to Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks.Austin is scheduled to make his first overseas trip since his initial hospitalization this week.Austin was scheduled to depart on Tuesday for Brussels to hold a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Austin was also scheduled to attend a regular meeting of NATO defense ministers. It was not clear if those plans were canceled because of the hospitalization. Sunday's announcement came just weeks after his first hospitalization. Austin previously underwent a surgical procedure for prostate cancer on Dec. 22. However‚ he suffered from a urinary tract infection and serious intestinal complications. Austin was hospitalized on Jan. 1‚ but President Joe Biden was unaware of the concerning medical situation for three days.Austin had transferred his authority to his deputy the day after he was admitted to the hospital. The secrecy of Austin's hospitalization was widely criticized.Austin returned to in-person work at the Pentagon at the end of January. "We did not handle this right and I did not handle this right‚" Austin admitted during a press conference earlier this month."I should have told the president about my cancer diagnosis‚" he added. "I should have also told my team and the American public‚ and I take full responsibility."Austin defended himself by saying he is a "pretty private guy." "I never like burdening others with my problems‚" he said. "It's just not my way."Austin said he directly apologized to President Biden for not informing his administration about his hospitalization‚ and he was "deeply sorry." Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

WATCH: Young Chiefs Fan Smeared by Deadspin Goes to the Super Bowl (While His Lawsuit is Pending)

$96 Billion Ukraine-Israel Military Aid Bill Moves Closer to Passage Despite Trump's Opposition

What's the Chance of Biden Accepting RFK Jr.'s Challenge to a Debate to Prove His 'Cognitive Capacity'?

Guess Who's at the Super Bowl? That Kid Who Got Smeared as a Racist by Deadspin

Much of tech journalism these days amounts to the rewriting of press releases and corporate blog posts. A good example of this came on Friday‚ when the blogosphere cranked out one post after another that dutifully regurgitated the announcement of Meta’s decision to no longer amplify “political” content on Instagram and Threads from accounts that users don’t follow -- in a presidential election year‚ no less. As is the case with so many bad ideas‚ this one sounds great as long as you don’t look at it too closely. The intention here‚ basically‚ is that outrage-inducing political clickbait and disinfo paid for by Russian troll farms that’s dressed up to look like news will no longer invade the sanctity of your feeds and Explore pages. Which is fine‚ I guess‚ except for one thing. All that content isn’t going to magically start keeping its distance from Threads and Instagram users on its own. In order for Meta to prevent users from seeing that political content‚ in other words‚ the company must first identify which posts are political‚ and which are not. Moreover‚ the only way Meta can possibly identify which posts are political is for the company to also define what counts as political. Logic suggests that the company needs to know what it's looking for‚ and must then proactively find it‚ before it can go about hiding it from users. And that‚ by the way‚ is the most important takeaway from Friday’s announcement: What's most noteworthy was not that Instagram and Threads will no longer amplify an account's political posts to non-followers‚ which is what every headline declared. Rather‚ it's that Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta‚ in the midst of a presidential campaign season‚ has chosen this moment to define what counts as political content -- and whether you see it or not. This is a bad idea for so many reasons‚ and to understand why just look at Meta's unsatisfying and banal definition of what counts as political content. It's content that‚ and I quote‚ is "potentially related to things like laws‚ elections‚ or social topics." Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg speaks at an event in New York City. Image source: Drew Angerer/Getty Images If‚ again‚ you look beyond the press release‚ it becomes all-too-apparent how bizarre an endeavor is. Let’s say‚ for example‚ there’s a post on Instagram or Threads that expresses a user's excitement at attending an upcoming rally in support of LGBT rights. Is that a political post? To a conservative voter‚ probably‚ while to the user who made that post the content is simply an extension of their identity. Or what if‚ say‚ a law professor writes an explainer post that elucidates the 14th Amendment to help their followers better understand it -- importantly‚ without mentioning Trump by name (the 14th Amendment bars anyone who previously swore to upload the Constitution from holding office if they're found to have engaged in "insurrection or rebellion.") Is that political content? And speaking of Trump‚ what if a post simply said something along the lines of: Did you see what Trump did when the camera landed on him at the Super Bowl yesterday? Honestly‚ it never ceases to amaze me how logically inconsistent people can be in their attitudes toward Meta -- and to Zuckerberg‚ specifically. Facebook is a privacy nightmare! Zuck is too powerful! And speaking of power‚ I want Zuck's systems to be able to zero in on specific‚ individual posts from users and hide them if they're too political! Obviously‚ that's a staggeringly absurd contradiction‚ but here we are. No wonder the demise of the social web is well underway. In terms of policing content‚ these big platforms have careened from the earlier eras of letting 'er rip and then squelching reach unless you pay to play‚ to now becoming quasi-Ministries of Truth in tandem with an automation at scale of what content users are and aren't allowed to see. Perhaps the next press release will clarify how all this shakes out. Don't Miss: Instagram and Threads will start limiting the recommendation of political content The post There’s a big problem with Instagram and Threads no longer amplifying political content appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals This $16 clip-on lens kit fits the iPhone or any Android phone‚ and it’s awesome Amazon deal offers a 7-inch Android tablet for under $43 Save 61% on a 6-port USB rapid charger on Amazon Save 75% on a Canon black and white multifunction laser printer on Amazon

An expert in election data asserts that almost 35‚000 Georgia voters in 2020 cast ballots from the wrong jurisdictions‚ but Georgia’s top election official hasn’t responded to his request for an investigation. …

Former President Donald Trump attacked the deployed husband of former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley during a rally on Saturday in Conway‚ South Carolina. However‚ Haley fired back at her GOP opponent…

By Jake SmithDaily Caller News Foundation A lawsuit alleges that an art school in Los Angeles had to shut its doors due to the city’s persistent and increasing homeless crisis‚ the Los Angeles Times…

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin returned Sunday to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for symptoms of a bladder issue less than a month after his secret stay at that hospital sparked controversy…